July 18, 2010

Obama to headline Giannoulias fundraiser

President Barack Obama will headline a Chicago fundraiser on Aug. 5 for Democrat Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, his campaign announced today.

The fundraiser announcement, which was confirmed by the White House, comes on the heels of the one-term state treasurer announcing that he is trailing Republican opponent Mark Kirk in fundraising by a significant margin.

"The President's visit will reinforce the importance of the clear choice Illinois voters face" between Giannoulias and Kirk, a veteran North Shore congressman, Giannoulias campaign manager Mike Rendina said in a statement.

Giannoulias and Kirk are vying for the seat Obama held when he was elected president.

Giannoulias has already received the backing of others close to Obama, including campaign manager David Plouffe and education secretary Arne Duncan. Obama strategist David Axelrod is also scheduled to host a fundraiser for Giannoulias in the coming weeks. The White House had once been seen as cool to the Giannoulias candidacy, entertaining the notion of other potential candidates last summer.

Obama's visit would likely come during the defense presentation of disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial. Blagojevich's defense team has said it intends to call White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and adviser Valerie Jarrett as witnesses.

All 50 aldermen on the Chicago City Council had to file paperwork earlier this year detailing their outside income and gifts. The Tribune took that ethics paperwork and posted the information here for you to see. You can search by ward number or alderman's last name.

The Cook County Assessor's office has put together lists of projected median property tax bills for all suburban towns and city neighborhoods. We've posted them for you to get a look at who's paying more and who's paying less.

Past posts

Clout has a special meaning in Chicago, where it can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. This exercise of political influence in a uniquely Chicago style was chronicled in the Tribune cartoon "Clout Street" in the early 1980s. Clout Street, the blog, offers an inside look at the politics practiced from Chicago's City Hall to the Statehouse in Springfield, through the eyes of the Tribune's political and government reporters.